


Red Tango

by hollyblue



Category: Homestuck
Genre: Flushed Romance | Matesprits, M/M, Pale Romance | Moirallegiance, karkat tries to be a romantic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-10-10
Updated: 2014-10-10
Packaged: 2018-02-20 15:40:04
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 2,770
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2434088
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hollyblue/pseuds/hollyblue
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>hmmm, what about writing something about proactive karkat? like, karkat who takes courting into his hands rather than have dave do the whole thing, maybe?<br/>i’d like to see karkat trying to ask dave out first. whether he does it mimicking a movie or he asks dave’s friends for help, that’s your choice. (also you can pick any universe, from au to canon)</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Part One: Date

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Lacertae](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lacertae/gifts).



Karkat paced back and forth in his block on the meteor, thinking furiously. He had to do this, he could. Sitting down on the sleeping platform- seriously, why the fuck did he even have one, why not use a couch- he glared at the far wall, then flopped backward. “Ugh. Fuck this shit.” He couldn’t just give up, though. No decent protagonist in a romcom would. Getting back to his feet, he went to the door, then hesitated. “Stop being a wriggler, Vantas. You can do this. You’ve trained for this your whole life, for fuck’s sake!”

Throwing open the door, he grabbed the bouquet of shitty alchemized plastic roses from beside the door and went into the hall, glancing around to see if anyone was there, but the coast was clear. Stepping onto a transportalizer, marked with a scratched record, he tried not to wince at the feeling of being taken apart and reassembled- painless, but it still felt strange. Making his way down the hall, he felt nerves prickling up and down his spine. What if Dave rejected him, or outright laughed? The hallway seemed to go on forever, but it seemed to take only a second for him to arrive at the door to Dave's room.

it took a good minute of just standing there like a moron before he could raise his hand to knock, lightly at first, then harder. After a few moments, the steel door creaked open, letting Dave be seen. Face flushed, Karkat blurted out, "Be my fucking matesprit," and thrust the fake flowers at the human. Dave raised his eyebrows, took the roses, and said, "Nah." Karkat gaped at him, blush growing. "Why the hell not?" 

"Can't just ask a lady like me out. Gotta romance me first, you know?" A faint smirk appeared on his face, serving to embarrass Karkat further. "Fine, then, I will! Meet me in the dining block in an hour," he snapped, flushing to the tips of his ears. "It's a date," Dave decided, passing the flowers back and closing the door in Karkat's face. "Asshole," the troll muttered, turning away to get ready.

Forty five minutes later, Karkat was ready, sitting in the dim room, lit only by candles of various colors. The flowers from before were in a glass vase; Karkat had even gone to the trouble of filling it with water. Several plates occupied the dining surface- spaghetti, lukewarm soup, a pitcher of juice- not apple, he wasn't sure what it was- and cake for later. All human food; Karkat was the most culturally sensitive troll in any fucking universe. 

Naturally, Dave was late. By the time he arrived half an hour later, Karkat was fuming, and the food was cold. "Where the fuck have you been?" he snapped, getting up and grabbing the pasta plate to microwave it. "Can't rush perfection, bro." Dave shrugged, pulling out a chair with an obnoxiously loud screech of wood against metal. When the food was finally hot again- Dave could choke on the cold soup for all he cared, his stupid flushcrush- he brought it to the table, setting it down with nearly enough force to snap the plate in half. 

Half the meal was spent in silence, the boys barely making eye contact. "So, how was your day, sunshine?" Dave finally asked. Karkat finally looked up from the spaghetti- it tasted awful, maybe that was because it was human food- and frowned. "It was, uh, okay, shockingly. Nothing went horribly wrong." His gray eyes met Dave's through his shades, scowl softening slightly. "What about yours?" After that, dinner went more or less smoothly. At the end, Karkat cleared away the dished, while Dave blew out the candles and turned the lights back on.

At least that wasn't a total disaster, Karkat thought, looking over at his (hopefully) soon-to-be matesprit. Turning off the water in the sink, he made his way over to the other Knight, coming to a stop beside him. "So..." he said softly, looking up at Dave. "This didn't suck too badly." He got a simple nod in return, and stepped in front of Dave, feeling heat wash over his face. Don't fuck this up. Hesitantly, he set his hands on Dave's waist, being watched impassively. Trying to mimic what he'd seen in his many movies, he half-closed his eyes, bit his lip gently, and went up on his toes to press his mouth to Dave's.

And Dave did nothing. Frustrated, he growled quietly, and pushed harder, eyes closed tightly. Finally, he felt more than heard Dave sigh, lips softening as he finally kissed back. Relieved, he kept it going for a few moments, then pulled back, red dusted across his face. "Not feeling it yet," Dave said drily, head tilted down toward Karkat, who stared open mouthed.

“What do you mean by that?” he demanded, pulling back. “Did I not do this right?” Dave shook his head. “It’s fine, just not enough yet. Go see someone about dancing, bitches love dancing.” And then he was gone, flashstepping away.


	2. Part Two: Dance

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Karkat learns how to tango.

“Like this- no, to the other side. Step, and step, and turn.”

Karkat growled in frustration as he fucked up yet another step of the dance, Kanaya waiting patiently as he sat down to take a break. “I’m never going to get this,” he grumbled, head in his hands. Kanaya sat beside him, one hand resting delicately on his shoulder. “You will master this with time,” she assured him. “It has been only three hours.” 

“Three hours of me not being able to go past two steps without messing up. And there’s only four steps!” 

“Well, this is only the basic version.”

“How is that supposed to make me feel better?”

Kanaya was silent, her hand moving in small circles against his back. After a few minutes of this, Karkat stood again, ready to keep going. Taking his hand, she pulled him close, one arm extended and the other held close to his body. Slowly, they started to turn, keeping smoothly in step with one another.

“Just relax,” Kanaya advised him. Sighing, he closed his eyes, focusing on the movement of his feet and hands. Carefully, he dipped his moirail backwards- the slender troll couldn’t handle his mostly-muscle weight. Pulling her back up, he opened his eyes and looked hopeful. “Hah! That’s it, right? I did it?” She nodded, smoothing down her skirt. “That is the foundation of the dance. Would you like to try some more advanced moves?”

A moment of hesitation, then he nodded. “Show me.” They resumed the dance, but this time, when Karkat dipped Kanaya, she lifted her leg, arching her back in a graceful bend. He brought her back up and she clung to him for a moment, then lowered her leg and let go. “Very well done.” Karkat nodded proudly, then stepped back. “Should I go and try this with Strider now?” 

A moment’s pause, long enough for Karkat’s face to fall. “We do not yet know his skill level, and you have only just mastered the dance. We should continue practicing for at least one more hour.” Reluctantly, Karkat nodded, and took her hand again.

After enough spinning to make him dizzy, Karkat was ready, and on the warpath. Marching up to Dave’s door, he pounded on the metal hard enough to hurt his fist. It opened almost right away, and Karkat’s jaw dropped.

Dave was dressed in a multi-shade red suit, with a black undershirt and white bowtie. A black and white scratched record was embroidered on the breast pocket. Karkat felt horribly underdressed, and self-consciously hunched his shoulders. “Hey there, Karkat.” The troll looked up, prepared for ridicule. “Ready to dance?” was all Dave said, though. He held out his hand, and after a moment, Karkat took it.

He was led to one of the empty respiteblocks, void of any furniture, and they stopped in the center of the room, where Dave turned and took Karkat’s other hand. Pulling him close, faces only inches apart, the human started to lead, stepping to the side and back, then spinning Karkat. The troll found himself suddenly parallel to the ground and tried not to panic, clinging maybe a bit too hard to Dave’s shoulders. 

When he was straight up again, the dance intensified, becoming more fast-paced and spontaneous. Karkat was spun more than once, and managed not to step on his partner’s feet too much. After they mutually decided to end it, they bowed to each other, still holding hands. Karkat lifted his head and looked at Dave, only to find himself suddenly pulled close, one hand around his waist at the other cupping his cheek.

“I think you’ve successfully wood me,” he heard the other boy murmur before there were lips on his. His knees nearly buckled, and he had to press close to Dave, chest to chest. The hand around his waist helped to keep him up, but it also pressed their hips together and holy shit that was Dave’s bulge. Suddenly it was worth it to learn how to dance.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i do now know how tangos work, shhh...


	3. Part Three: What You've All Been Waiting For

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> yep

Two steps, and Karkat’s back was to the wall, rear settled firmly on a bench. Dave’s hands were all over him- up his shirt, cupping his ass, rubbing his horns. The last made him moan, lips parting and allowing Strider’s tongue to slip past, tracing along his sharp teeth and tangle with his own. Hands gripped the other’s shoulders desperately to keep himself grounded, and finally he broke away. “I’m not going to bottom,” he panted. “I started this.”

 

Dave laughed. “Good luck with that.” He bent down to kiss Karkat again, but got pushed away with a hand to the face. “I mean it!” the shorter boy huffed. “And anyway, we can’t do anything here. We’re going to my block.”

 

“Like hell we are. Your room is weird, and your bed is way too small.”

 

“Your block is a mess. When was the last time you changed your sheets?”

 

“My room.”

 

“My block.”

 

“My-”

 

“No!”

 

“Fine.” He scooped up the stocky boy, much to his squawking protest, and carried him to his respiteblock. Kicking open the door- “BE CAREFUL!” -he set Karkat down surprisingly gently, sitting down beside him. “Well, mister dominant, lead the way.” Huffing, Karkat pushed him onto his back, straddling his waist and licking his lips nervously.

 

After a moment of eyebrow-raised silence (on Dave’s part) he bent down and pressed his lips to the boy’s pale skin, kissing up his neck to his ear, where he ran the tip of his tongue along the edge of the cartilage shell. He could hear a catch in Dave’s breath when he did that, and smirked triumphantly- he’d finally gotten a decent reaction from the coolkid. Pulling back, he gave him as sultry a look as he could manage, and Strider outright laughed. “You look like you need to-” “Shut up,” Karkat growled, clapping his hand over his mouth. “Do not ruin the mood.”

 

Dave licked his palm, and Karkat pulled his hand back, making a disgusted face. “What did I just say?” He wiped his hand off on his pants and got pulled down by Dave, hands in his hair and a tongue in his mouth. They stayed like that for a few minutes, until Karkat got impatient and slowly pulled back. “Pants off,” he ordered, trying to hide his nervousness- it wasn’t like he had a lot of experience with this.

 

“Yes, sir,” Dave responded, sitting up and unbuttoning his skinny jeans and letting them drop. Karkat kept his back to the other as he did the same, bending over to get them off. Turning back, he stripped off his shirt, letting it drop to the floor. Dave followed his example, leaving both of them in just their boxers- red and gray. Karkat could see Dave’s weird human bulge straining at the fabric of his underwear, while his own was shifting under the rough cloth.

 

“So, how are we gonna do this?” Dave questioned, leaning back. “I, uh, we’ll figure it out as we go,” the troll decided, reaching down to shuck off his boxers, but hands stopped him. “Let me,” came the offer, and he nodded, biting his lip as his underwear was pulled off.

 

“Huh,” Dave commented, looking with interest at the bright red bulge in front of him. “Can I touch it?” Without waiting for a reply, he brushed his fingers along it, eyes widening when it wrapped around his hand. Karkat was startled into letting out a moan, hips bucking involuntarily.   
  
“That feel good?” he asked, wiggling his fingers, and the troll gasped. “Seems so.” He leaned closer, breath washing over the writhing tendril. “Can I lick it?” Karkat gasped and shook his head, then nearly lost control of his legs when Dave did so anyway. He was caught and pulled onto the bed, straddling Dave’s face. “Oh, shit, you’ve got both?”

 

“What are you- _nngh_.” Dave’s tongue ran along the edges of his nook, making him arch his back and moan. When it slipped inside, he cried out, hunching forward and scrabbling at the sheets. “Holy shit fucking culling hoofbeasts don’t stop.” He could feel Dave chuckle against him; the vibrations made him press down harder, nearly suffocating the boy with his nook.

 

It took a ridiculously short time for him to get close, and he reluctantly batted at Dave, trying to move away. He flopped to the side once he was free and turned his head to the blond, panting. “Get your sorry ass over here and pail me.”

 

“Yessir.” Dave was eager enough to obey, wiping red off his face and getting to his feet, just slightly wobbly, and stood between Karkat’s legs. “How do you-” He stopped and swallowed when Karkat rolled onto his hands and knees, lifting his ass to present himself to Dave. “Holy shit, okay then.” He settled his hands on his gray hips and pressed the tip of his cock against Karkat’s nook, sighing softly. “You’re so warm.”

 

“Shut up and get on with it!” Rolling his eyes behind his shades, Dave started to press in, trying to hold back any noise as hot wetness enveloped his length. Not entirely successful, he groaned softly. Karkat hid his face in his arms and whined, rocking his hips back onto Dave. Once he was all the way in, he bent over Karkat’s back, breath slow and deliberate.

 

“Move already, before I change my mind and start riding you,” the troll complained, getting a laugh from his partner. “You’re always so bossy, aren’t you?” Growling, he started to lift himself up, then collapsed with a yelp as Dave pulled out and thrust back in, just hard enough to surprise him. Gripping his hips tightly, he set a gentler pace, rocking back and forth. Leaning back, he could see himself moving in and out of Karkat- a sight he decided he would never get tired of.

 

Karkat had already been close due to Dave’s mouth, so it didn’t take him long to stay going stiff, bulge lashing more energetically and nook clamping down on Dave to hold him in. It took more effort to get in and out with each thrust, the pressure on his cock driving him up the wall. Bending low over Karkat’s back, Dave took hold of his bulge, squeezing in time with each thrust, and Karkat lost it, grinding his face into the bed and crying out Knight’s name.  Red slurry spilled between his fingers and onto the white sheets, hips jerking into the human’s fist.

 

Dave didn’t take much longer, pressing deep into the nook in front of him and shutting his eyes tightly, releasing inside the troll. “Fuck,” he breathed, laying down beside the troll. “Mmh,” Karkat groaned back, turning his head to look at Dave. “We should… do this again sometime.” Nodding, Strider pulled him close. “Now is not the time to talk, now is the time to cuddle.”

  
“Fine.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> One more part, no more smut.


	4. Part Four: End

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> the end :)

In the weeks that followed, Dave and Karkat became closer at matesprits. Karkat made more, better attempts at dates, which Dave played along with.

“Dave. Stop it.”

“I can’t help it, dude, this tickles.”

“Oh, I’ll show you ticklish.” Dave tried to wriggle away from Karkat, alarmed, but was unsuccessful, biting his lip hard to keep in noise as the troll’s fingers danced up and down his sides. “Fucking stop!” he managed to bark, nearly falling to the floor. Miraculously, he did, and got pulled into a kiss, face flushed. “Flushed for you, jackass,” Karkat said against his lips. “Flushed for you, too, dick,” he responded.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> idk


End file.
